Verse by verse teaching - Daniel 1:3-4 "Talents in the King's House"

In our study of Daniel so far we've seen that God sent Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon against Judah the southern kingdom of Israel Which was ruled at that time by the ungodly king Jehoiakim And God allowed Nebuchadnezzar to conquer Judah because Judah had turned away from God to serve idols Daniel chapter 1 verse 2 says and the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his it is Nebuchadnezzar hand with part of the vessels of the house of God Which he carried into the land of Shannar to the house of his God and he brought the vessels Into the treasure house of his God so we learned last week that Nebuchadnezzar took some of the vessels which the vessels represent God's servants and they took the vessels from God's house in Judah and put them in the house of a false god in Shannar and that symbols of God's servants being overcome by sin and serving our enemy the devil But it doesn't stop there Because in verse 3 this morning we learned that Nebuchadnezzar wanted more than just some of the vessels Verse 3 says and the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs Let's pause there and pray father. We thank you for your precious word. I Thank you for each and every person father who came here today I'm especially thankful father for the Genesis to Jesus class we had this morning and Those precious hungry souls what a blessing father to watch the light begin to click on in their eyes. I Pray for each and every one of them father and I pray dear Lord God that all eyes would be upon you today You'll remove all distractions from the house From the work week and help us father to sit and soak in the Word of God in Jesus wonderful name amen All man this morning was good brother Shevardn Just watching watching them look up like that And one of them made the comment afterward That About not understanding before brother. It's just precious to listen to those comments absolutely precious So the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs And the master of the eunuchs if you could think of the master of the eunuchs being like the king's chief of staff That probably be a good way to explain it the word eunuch literally means Castrated a castrated person because the king didn't have to worry about his servants committing fornication with his harem With his wives if they were castrated But not every eunuch was castrated. We need to understand that this morning the word literally means castrated but it practically means a state official a representative of the king a Servant of the king for example when Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt He was purchased by Potiphar and Potiphar was a high-ranking official He was captain of the king's guard and a Genesis chapter 39 verse 1 it says and Joseph was brought down to Egypt and Potiphar an officer of Pharaoh Captain of the guard and Egyptian bought him of the hands of the Ishmaelites Which had brought him down thither and that word translated officer here is the same word that's translated eunuch in Our text here in Daniel and we know that Potiphar wasn't castrated He had a wife The one that sold that that falsely accused Joseph and had him committed to prison So we see here that even though literally it means one thing by usage In by common usage words begin to take on new meanings as they do in the English language as well So when we see master of eunuchs in the book of Daniel think of chief of staff King Nebuchadnezzar Contacted Ashfin as his chief of staff and told him look back your text now that he should bring certain of the children of Israel ah So he wasn't satisfied with just bringing some of the vessels To his false God's house But now he was wanting to bring certain of the children of Israel to his own house so Why would the king tell his chief of staff to bring certain people from Israel? Because his chief of staff is going to take certain of the children of Israel and make them servants to the king They're gonna be part of his staff But notice that he would only bring certain of the children of Israel not everybody the king here has very high standards You see and to be able to be a servant of the king you you couldn't just be any old Israelite There had to be a certain type of Israelite with very high standards including if you look back in your text here and of the king's seed So it'd be certain Israelites Namely some of the king's offspring some of the king's children now the kings don't get the prettiest wives there are They have all the choice they want they're gonna get some pretty wives They're gonna have some pretty children and the key children of the king of Judah would make some fine servants for the king of Babylon The king's children no doubt had some of the best training Some of the best education some of the best cultural enrichment and refinement that the kingdom of Judah had to offer And they'd be fine servants in the king's house They were again probably very handsome Or beautiful to look at and it was probably quite a status symbol I would think for the king to have another king's children serving him so certain people From the king's seed would be brought to Babylon and not just from the king's seed but look back in your text and of the princes That means some of the under rulers at the time Some of the leaders of the fallen kingdom of Judah They also would be brought to Babylon as well and one of the advantages of taking leaders Of the former government that had just gotten conquered and some of the children of the king From Judah and bringing them to Babylon would be to prevent them from us Reestablishing regrouping back home and then trying to rebel against the king of Babylon later Rulers and royalty would be taken captive and carried into Babylon to serve King Nebuchadnezzar People who had formerly ruled in Judah Would now serve in Babylon boy if that's not turning your world upside down. I don't know what is can you imagine putting yourselves in their shoes for a moment and Imagine what it would be like to one day be ruling in your land And then suddenly be serving in a foreign land They weren't used to being told what to do They were used to telling other people what to do They were used to having privilege and power and now they're being bossed around by somebody else's servants Not too long ago they felt secure in their positions But now their whole world is crumbling around them and you know that applies to us today to a Lot of times we feel so secure in our jobs So secure in our health so secure in our finances everything seems to be so stable immovable unshakable But then suddenly our little world can come crumbling down around us. Has that ever happened to anybody here? Sure it has An automobile accident a diagnosis a turn the stock market once sent people jumping out of windows who've Once thought they were very wealthy Here's a kingdom truth for you this morning The only thing sure in this world is Jesus The only thing sure in this world is Jesus it doesn't matter how financially stable you are today how politically stable you are today How medically stable you are today? The only thing that's truly stable that that's truly safe and secure in this life is the Lord Jesus Christ in a moment of time you can go from the penthouse to the poorhouse and A moment of time you can go from being admired to being scorned your world can suddenly come crashing down around you and That's why you need a world that can never come crashing down You getting it? That's what we're learning from the book of Daniel your world can suddenly come crashing down around you And that's why you need a world that can never come crashing down The book of Daniel is letting us know that the only position on earth that we can be secure in is our Position in the Lord Jesus Christ. I love that phrase in the Bible in Christ If any man be in Christ boy I love being in Christ the only power we can be secured by is the power of Jesus Christ through the power of the gospel the book of Daniel is all about kingdom powers Repeat that again The book of Daniel is all about kingdom powers like the rulers and royalty in Judah Regardless of the social and political clout that you may enjoy all the powers that currently are soon will not be in Luke chapter 21 verse 26 Jesus described the end times as a time of men's hearts failing them for fear and For looking after those things which are coming on the earth For the powers of heaven Shall be shaken That's a very rich verse He's saying there the end times people's hearts men's hearts will be failing them because they'll be so afraid because what they see coming upon the earth and The what's causing that fear is that the powers of heaven? Shall be shaken now. I want you to notice that he didn't say the powers of earth shall be shaken Jesus was very specific He said the powers of heaven shall be shaken the powers of heaven are the powers of fallen angels that have operated like an underground syndicate crime syndicate here on earth since the beginning of Adam and Eve and the fall in the Garden of Eden They are powers of heaven Because they are heavenly creatures earth is not their natural abode So the Bible refers to them as the powers of heaven when you see the powers of heaven being shaken here Don't think it's God's powers It's the devil's powers it's the angelic host powers of the fallen kingdom of darkness Ephesians chapter 2 verse 2 calls Satan the prince of the power of the air Not the ground but the air Something higher than us in Job chapter 1 verse 6 when Job's servants Told him how Satan had destroyed his livestock and his servants. Here's what the servant thought had happened The servant said quote the fire of God is fallen from heaven You see so Satan has a heavenly a celestial power He is a celestial creature with celestial power and it is that celestial power in the heavens that operates here on earth through fallen man and Jesus said fallen man is going to have a failing heart due to fear Because in the end times those heavenly celestial fallen powers are going to be shaken Meaning they're going to start crumbling down around the people who have staked their hope upon this godless world The demonic powers of heaven is the influence behind all the wicked agendas and corrupt rulers on this earth And when God shakes those powers Men's hearts will lose courage Because they will see their little world falling down That's what Jesus is saying when he says the powers of heaven shall be shaken We went to near Caddo Lake a week or so ago And a week later they have two earthquakes out there near Caddo Lake and just And when you have a bad earthquake things start crumbling down you start realizing man This world's not stable where I'm at is not stable and that's why God's using the word shaken here when God spoke on Mount Sinai That was the Lord Jesus giving his voice to the people to the children of Israel and when God spoke He shook the earth the earth literally quaked and Speaking of Jesus voice on Mount Sinai Hebrews chapter 12 verse 26 and 27 says Whose voice then shook the earth? But now he hath promised saying Yet once more I shake not the earth only But also heaven boy when Jesus comes back. He's going to shake things up and this and this word yet once more he goes on to say Signify the removing of those things that are shaken as of things that are made That those things which cannot be shaken May remain Anything God makes he can shake the only thing that can't be shaken is God who was not made That's why the only position of power and security we have is in Christ Jesus our Lord who is in the Father In other words the fact that Jesus said yet once more he would shake heaven and earth It means that he will never shake the powers of heaven and earth again after he shakes him that one more time Because the time he shakes them in the passage He's talking about will be the last time because only his kingdom and his power will remain Hebrews 12 28 goes on to say wherefore we We the believers in Jesus Christ We those who do not stake our hope upon this fallen world But who stake our hope upon the cross where Jesus died we? Receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved Let us have grace Whereby by that grace we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear Among the Israelites that were taken to Babylon we have to understand there were godly Israelites taken to Babylon there were ungodly Israelites taken to Babylon When certain of the when when the king brought certain of the children of Israel to be his servants he got Both the righteous and the unrighteous He didn't care what they were he didn't know what they were he just wanted them fat healthy and sharp But as they came to serve that foreign king those coming to serve the foreign king were both children of God and children of the devil They were people who were receiving a kingdom That could not be moved and they were also people unbelievers who were not receiving a kingdom That could not be moved But Hebrews 12 28 that we just read sums it up when it said let us have grace Whereby we may serve God When you're living in a fallen world You and you're serving a fallen system You need grace So that when serving that King you can really be serving the Lord Here's a kingdom true for you this morning when the kingdom around you crumbles Serve the kingdom above you When the kingdom around you crumbles serve the kingdom above you Judah had crumbled around the godly people Judah had crumbled around the ungodly people so the ungodly people they're taken to Babylon with no hope at all the godly people are taken to Babylon with hope that one day they'll receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken and So as they were there serving that foreign king in their hearts they were serving God Because what God what God brings to you is from God And God brought Babylon to them and God brought them to Babylon And so they just yielded to God in the circumstances they were in and they said here by the grace of God We will serve God in the terrible circumstances. We're in and that's just what we have to do in this world The grace Of the gospel lets us serve a kingdom that cannot be shaken While we serve in a kingdom that shall be shaken you see of the people who would be taken to serve King Nebuchadnezzar they would have to be look in verse 4 children in whom was no blemish Absolutely love this The people who would be taken to serve King Nebuchadnezzar would have to be children in whom was No, blemish King didn't want ugly people serving him. They couldn't have any blemish at all And once again We see how Satan counterfeits God in every way You know why because we can't stand before our king with a blemish either Those Old Testament sacrifices Had to be without what without blemish When Adam and Eve stood before God their king He had to clothe them and an unblemished animal So they could stand before their king with no blemish. That's all the devil is doing here He's counterfeiting God's kingdom. He's got vessels in his house a false god he's got servants in his king's house a false king serving under a false god and And and and now he has the same requirements in order to stand before the king you can't have any blemish Not only could they have no blemish but look what else it said Well favored Well favored that'd be nice to look at Had to be pleasant to look at reminds me brother Doug of Balaam Every time he tried to curse those people wanted to curse those people God kept telling how beautiful they were How lovely they were how wonderful they were and from every viewpoint That Balaam went to have God look at the children of Israel. They still look good to him There's not a single angle you can look at Jesus and find anything other than beauty and Since I am in Jesus Christ, and if you have your faith in Jesus Christ There's no angle that God can look at you and see nothing but beauty you're well favored in his sight This is my beloved son in whom I am Well pleased he goes on to say in skillful in all wisdom The king needed skilled laborers of all kinds and cunning and knowledge. He needed them well educated and understanding science brilliant men wisdom knowledge and Understanding you see that wisdom Knowledge and understanding and in Jesus Christ we have them all We are without blemish We are beautiful in God's eyes And in Christ we have wisdom knowledge and understanding and the king of Babylon's requirements Can't even touch God's requirements because the king could only attempt to get that in the flesh, but we get that in the Sun imperfection for all eternity look back at the last qualification and such as had the had ability in them to stand in the king's palace and Such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace and listen because of Jesus merit and Us being it clothed in his righteousness We have the ability to stand in the king's palace. We can stand before the king One day there's going to be people who try to stand before the king and he's going to say How is it that you come here with no wedding garment on? You Can't stand in my presence like this They'll be cast into outer darkness. They'll be weeping and ashing of teeth But because of Jesus we have the ability to stand in the king's palace. You had people in that day who could stand before Nebuchadnezzar in the king's palace and They felt they were greatly qualified But if you take those people and you put them before the king of kings, they will shrink back in horror They will be seen as completely undone. Oh Wretched man that I am they'll cry out Because they do not have the ability to stand in the king of kings palace Only in Jesus Christ. Can we do it the devil can counterfeit? But the devil cannot deliver on the goods Because he's not the real king Look back in your text in whom They might teach the learning in the tongue of the Chaldeans so that any people who are sharp enough that they could learn their language and adopt the Babylonian ways Could you imagine being thrown into the situation against your will? Having to to lose your freedom having to live in a foreign land Having to speak a foreign language Having to lose your own cultural and national identity and embrace the culture of an enemy country That's what these people were having to do the king of Babylon had put vessels in his God's house and Now he was putting talents in his house and the key to understanding the book of Daniel is to understand that both godly people and ungodly people Had to go to Babylon both godly people and ungodly people Had to go to Babylon when Jesus spoke of the end times in Luke chapter 21, which we read earlier When men's hearts would be failing them because of what will be happening to the world both the ungodly and The godly are coming to those end times together We're all going to the king's house together. We're all coming to Babylon together The difference is the godly go with trusting hearts The ungodly go with failing hearts. I think God as his world starts to fall apart and Begins crumbling down around people They're going to be frowning and we're going to start smiling They're going to start giving up We're going to start looking up the the Jesus said in Luke chapter 21 verses 26 and 27 that it will be a time of men's Hearts failing them for fear and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth for the powers of heaven shall be shaken and then That is after the powers of heaven are shaken. You got it. Remember the powers of heaven are the ungodly fallen angelic celestial powers he says For the powers of heaven shall be shaken and then when those heavenly fallen celestial powers are shaken Shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and? Great glory so one power is shaken And it's replaced by greater and more glorious power the powers of heavens are shaken and Then the Son of God comes and now he has power One power is going away. The other power is coming. Here's a kingdom truth for you this morning When the powers of heaven are shaken The power of the Sun is approaching When the powers of heaven are shaken the power of the Sun is approaching Understand that when we're looking at in times we're looking at future events before Jesus power comes The celestial fallen powers must be shaken and then he'll come to establish his power before we go to Jesus We must go through Babylon We'll say that again before we go to Jesus We must go through Babylon We must experience the shaking of the powers that are To see the coming of the power that shall forever be So as we work our way through the book of Daniel We need to watch the people of God Who are called to serve in the worldly King's house? Watch them and you will see that they will serve the crumbling power around them According to their faith in the coming power above them And that's how we must serve as well with that will close this morning and God willing take back up next Lord's Day in our next verse in Daniel What a wonderful study this has been father. We thank you so much for your precious word Thank you father For setting the stage for us here in the book of Daniel Thank you father for showing us that in the end You're over all the powers you raise kings up you put kings down And thank you father for letting us know that the powers that are are controlled by fallen power above us But one day you'll shake that power and the power above them will come and be established forever Help us Lord to have grace in the meantime that we may serve you with great reverence in Jesus precious name Looking forward to the kingdom to come Amen